Thx Verell -- We removed A/C + compressor and...

It looks very nice but....

It appears that the wire mesh is about 1 to 1.5 inches off the front of the radiator? Then the fans are .25-.50 inches back from there? Putting the fans 1.5-2 inches away from the radiator? If that is the case, you will probably not put enough air through the radiator sitting in traffic in the summer. Generally the fans want to be as close as possible to the radiator to work properly.

 

He should be fine. I have a near stock 85 QV and I have had the condenser out of it for sometime. I am going to install a rotary style compressor on the future. Anyway, I have been in 95 deg. temps with a distance similar and have had no issues. My car runs just slight over halfway sitting in traffic in 95+ temps.

 

Sorry i missed the party. I'll hook up with you guys some day.

 

My a/c doesn't work and I don't want the weight either. How much of a pain in the ass is it to remove the compressor etc?

 

steve,
first let me say great job. now i'll share my 2 cents, the mesh you have is going to really reduce the rate of air volume to the radiator, i would suggest a mesh attached right behind the decorative grill infront of the fans, maybe some stainless woven wire. i know the last thing you want to hear is how your new upgrade is all wrong, not trying to pee in the pool but i thought i'd share some of my hard knocks learning with you. i went through many different ways to 'shield' the rad from debris, air flows like a liquid and the smaller the open grid the less air that can travel through. if you can sheild the opening to the rad with a more open mesh then you'll be able to protect it from debris and still provide the needed air volume for cooling.

abey shearer is the only west coast manufacturer of woven wire, they are in OC. McMasater Carr carries it if you're not local to them. i have abey's catalog in the shop if you want any ideas on whats available. i made a custom grill for the BMW due to the front dam sitting so low and the wide open mouth catching all kinds of debris, looks great and works perfect. think Aston Marton grills, thats woven wire.

 

an easy way to test the restriction, grab your wifes hairdryer (don't tell her though) and hold it 6" from the material you'd use for screen and feel the difference between the screen and no screen.

 

Steve,

Where did you get your tow hook and how did you mount it?

- Greg

 

Steve,

Any debris small enough to make it through the 1/4"? mesh wont really hurt the radiator. That fly screen you have as a second layer is too restrictive in my opinion. If you get a few bent rediator fins you can just comb them out at the end of the season with a radiator comb (Snap-on sells them).

Wil

 

Removing the compressor is a pain in the butt. It CAN be done by any competent back yard mechanic BUT first you must have a cetified AC tech evacuate the refrigerant gas or at least verify that the system has been purged.
I you get hit in the face with a blast of Freon you could be blinded.

Once you are certain about the refrigerant the biggest problem is unscrewwing the studs that hold the compressor to the cam belt cover. The compressor won't slide off the studs because the fuel tank is in the way. Ferrari should have used bolts to hold the compressor but someone had a better idea.

Wil

 

You don't have to pull the studs to remove the Sanden style compressor. Just remove the 2 pivot bolts from the front bracket, & pull the tensioner adj. bolt out of the rear bracket. The compressor it then free to come out. Then you just take the brackets off of their mounting studs.

I remember it as being closer to 3 hours to pull it tho, which is what I'd originally estimated. We started about 9:00AM, took about an hour for lunch, & Steve drove away at about 8:00 PM.

The screen was a last minuite addition while in the middle of the project & there wasn't much time to think about it's 'design'. I'd rathar had time to make a frame that would stand it off about 1/2" from the radiator & bring the fans in very close to the screen. Even better would be to add a couple of cylindrical shrouds to the fans. Those open blades loose a lot of air off of their tips.

As for the screen wire, I proposed only using the 1/4" hardware cloth, but others present felt pretty strongly that was too big. You can't tell from the picture, but that's a fairly coarse mesh screen with thin Al wire. The A/C condensor we pulled off looked more restrictive than the screen wire so I didn't push back.

How the fans are going to behave with that large a stand-off was hard to tell. They're in their original position, & the tip of each shaft is about 1/8" clear of the screen. Once they are blowing, the screen will probably move about 1/2" towards the radiator giving more clearance.

 

How much weight did you loose by removing the AC system? I like the idea of removing the compressor and capping of the lines as well. My assumption is other than time it should cost less than a $100 to recharge once you refit the compressor, is this correct?

 

Thanks for the reply thats about the cost I figured aswell. At this price its no big deal at all. I guess to make the engine look very nice while the compressor is off you can also replace the crank pulley with a single belt one.

Recently I replaced my waterpump and also while I was in there did the cam belts (although only a year old) and very much appreciate the help and posts on this site. Doing it myself made me realize it really isn't very hard at all and no big deal to change belts every 2 years or so. I have owned plenty of cars over the years and actually think the 308 is one of the easier to work on compaired to Jags, Porsches etc and am surprized many people think and are paying such astronomical repair and maintenenace costs. Makes me wonder if the whole maintenance thing isn't overblown and devalueing the cars a little.
My 71 911 has actually cost me more to maintain than my 308 over the last 2 years both covering similar miles but the 911 has doubled in value!

 

Steve,

Aren't you running a thermostat?

Eventually the fly screen will clog with dirt. If you're going to keep it at least make sure it stays clean.

Wil

 

By the way, and I know this is off topic, are you going to be at Lime Rock July 21-22?

Wil

 

Steve,

You need a new thermostat! It doesn't matter how good the airflow to your radiator is - the thermostat should still regulate the water temp.

I'll be At Lime Rock in July for the Ferrari Maserati historic event with a couple of cars. I'll look out for you. It's too bad I won't be able to bring my own 308. I could have showed you the wheels you helped me with.

Wil

 

I tend to agree, sounds like you may need a new thermostat.

 

Agreed here also. Mine does the same thing and I just ordered a new thermostat, o-ring, and gasket from Superformance. Thermostat was about $20, so I will see what quality shows up.